BRAZILIAN CHERRY HARDWOOD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

BRAZILIAN CHERRY HARDWOOD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

An In-Depth Look at Brazilian Cherry's Characteristics, Color, Grain & More

BRAZILIAN CHERRY

OTHER COMMON NAMES

Brazilian cherry is also commonly known as Jatoba and should not be confused with American cherry.

LATIN NAME

The Latin name for Brazilian cherry is Hymenaea courbaril.

CHARACTERISTICS - BRAZILIAN CHERRY

The heartwood of Brazilian cherry varies from light orange brown to a dark reddish brown. Darker grayish brown streaks can sometimes be seen on the wood, which darkens over time with exposure to light. The natural color of its sapwood is a light grayish yellow. [1]

MAIN USES - BRAZILIAN CHERRY

Brazilian cherry is commonly used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, tool handles, shipbuilding, railroad ties, and various turned objects. [1]

FLOORING
FURNITURE
CABINETRY
RAILROAD TIES
BOAT BUILDING

MILLING

Brazilian cherry’s hardness can pose some problems when it comes to milling, as it can have a blunting effect on both hand and power tools. Due to its interlocking grain, planing can also be problematic because of the possibility of tearout. [1]


HARDWOOD PROPERTIES - BRAZILIAN CHERRY

Its deep, rich color and durability makes Brazilian cherry very popular for use as hardwood flooring material. On the Janka Hardness Scale, Brazilian cherry is the hardest of the most commonly used hardwoods (far exceeding other popular hardwood species like white oak and hickory).

Professional woodworkers note that gluing, turning, finishing, and staining don’t present any problems, but that this exotic hardwood can be notably difficult to work with due to its hardness.

The rot resistance for Brazilian cherry wood is also excellent, as is its resistance to termites and most other insects. [1]

Janka Hardness Scale


ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE - BRAZILIAN CHERRY

Brazilian cherry grows widespread throughout southern Mexico and Central America, as well as the northern part of the South American continent and in the West Indies. [1]


BRAZILIAN CHERRY PRODUCTS AT BAIRD BROTHERS

Baird Brothers Fine Hardwoods is happy to assist with any questions you have about our Brazilian Cherry products, which include Brazilian cherry mouldings, Brazilian cherry S4S lumber, Brazilian Cherry wood flooring (which includes a prefinished options) and a wide variety of other items.

 

Please call 1-800-732-1697 or Contact Us if you need help with our extensive inventory.


COMPARISON TO OTHER WOOD SPECIES

Source: The Department of Agriculture's Wood Handbook

LumberSpecific GravityJanka HardnessModulus of Elasticity (MPa)Impact Bending (mm)Grain
African Mahogany --- 830 lb 9,700 --- Medium/Coarse
Alder 0.41 590 lb 9,500 510 Fine
Ash 0.6 1,320 lb 12,000 1,090 Fine
Basswood 0.37 410 lb 10,100 410 Fine
Beech 0.64 1,300 lb 11,900 1,040 Fine/Medium
Birch, Yellow 0.62 1,260 lb 13,900 1,400 Fine
Cedar, Western Red 0.32 350 lb 7,700 430 Fine
Cherry, Brazilian 0.91 2,350 lb 22,510 --- Medium
Cherry 0.5 950 lb 10,300 740 Fine
Cypress 0.51 510 lb 6,300 --- Medium
Douglas Fir 0.48 710 lb 12,300 660 Medium/Coarse
Hemlock 0.4 540 lb 8,300 530 Coarse
Hickory 0.66 1,820 lb 11,900 1,120 Medium
Maple, Hard 0.63 1,450 lb 12,600 990 Fine
Maple, Soft 0.47 700 lb 7,900 640 Fine
Oak, Red 0.63 1,290 lb 12,500 1,090 Coarse
Oak, White 0.68 1,360 lb 12,300 940 Coarse
Pine, Eastern White 0.35 380 lb 8,500 460 Medium
Pine, Ponderosa 0.4 460 lb 8,900 480 Medium
Pine, Yellow (Shortleaf) 0.51 690 lb 12,100 840 Fine/Medium
Poplar 0.42 540 lb 10,900 610 Medium
Sapele 0.67 1,410 lb 15,930 --- Fine
Teak 0.66 1,070 lb 10,700 --- Coarse
Walnut (Black) 0.55 1,010 lb 11,600 860 Medium

*Data is based on a moisture content of 12%.

GLOSSARY

Impact Bending — In the impact bending test, a hammer of given weight is dropped upon a beam from successively increased heights until rupture occurs or the beam deflects 152 mm (6 in.) or more. The height of the maximum drop, or the drop that causes failure, is a comparative value that represents the ability of wood to absorb s hocks that cause stresses beyond the proportional limit.

Janka Hardness — Defined as resistance to indentation using a modified Janka hardness test, measured by the load required to embed a 11.28-mm (0.444-in) ball to one-half its diameter. Values presented are the average of radial and tangential penetrations.

Modulus of Elasticity — Elasticity implies that deformations produced by low stress are completely recoverable after loads are removed. When loaded to higher stress levels, plastic deformation or failure occurs.

Specific Gravity - A measure of the ratio of a wood's density as compared to water. If a wood species had the same density as water, the specific gravity would be 1.00.


SOURCES

  1. “Jatoba”. The Wood Database. Wood-database.com. Accessec Aug 2021.
  2. “Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material”. fpl.fs.fed.us. April 2010. Accessed Aug 2021.